This SCS-C02 practice question tests your understanding of data protection. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A company uses AWS KMS to encrypt data in Amazon S3. The security team wants to detect any attempts to use a KMS key that has been disabled. Which THREE steps should the team take to achieve this? (Select THREE.)
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Enable AWS CloudTrail trails for the account to log KMS events.
Options A, D, and E are correct. Enabling CloudTrail trails (A) captures KMS API calls. Creating a CloudWatch Events rule for 'KMS KeyDisabled' (D) triggers on the event. Configuring an SNS notification (E) sends alerts. Option B is wrong because KMS key rotation does not generate an event. Option C is wrong because disabling key rotation does not detect key usage.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✓
Enable AWS CloudTrail trails for the account to log KMS events.
Why this is correct
CloudTrail logs all KMS API calls, including attempts to use a disabled key.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✓
Configure the CloudWatch Events rule to send a notification to an SNS topic.
Why this is correct
SNS can send alerts to security personnel.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Configure automatic KMS key rotation to generate daily events.
Why it's wrong here
Key rotation does not generate events related to key usage.
✓
Create a CloudWatch Events rule that matches the 'DisableKey' event from KMS.
Why this is correct
This rule can trigger on the event when a key is disabled.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Disable key rotation to prevent key material changes.
Why it's wrong here
This does not help detect usage of disabled keys.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.
TExam Day Tips
→Underline the problem statement mentally.
→Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
→Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which SCS-C02 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
Data Protection — This question tests Data Protection — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Enable AWS CloudTrail trails for the account to log KMS events. — Options A, D, and E are correct. Enabling CloudTrail trails (A) captures KMS API calls. Creating a CloudWatch Events rule for 'KMS KeyDisabled' (D) triggers on the event. Configuring an SNS notification (E) sends alerts. Option B is wrong because KMS key rotation does not generate an event. Option C is wrong because disabling key rotation does not detect key usage.
What should I do if I get this SCS-C02 question wrong?
Identify which SCS-C02 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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This SCS-C02 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Amazon Web Services certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the SCS-C02 exam.
Question Discussion
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